Lake Tahoe To Be Stocked With Cutthroat Trout

For the first time in more than 35 years, the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) will be stocking Lake Tahoe with Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT), the only trout species native to the Basin.

Over the course of the next few months, approximately 22,000 LCT will be planted in Lake Tahoe with the first stocking events completed this week at Cave Rock boat launch.

In response to a growing interest in the Tahoe area for the restoration of native species, an interagency team was created to explore opportunities to restore LCT to the Basin. The team, consisting of biologists from NDOW, California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service, among others, identified NDOW’s stocking efforts at Lake Tahoe as an opportunity to provide anglers with the chance to catch native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

The cutthroat trout were raised for over a year at NDOW’s Mason Valley Hatchery and will be approximately nine inches in length when stocked. This plant in Lake Tahoe is experimental and staff will evaluate their performance in the lake as well as angler satisfaction with Lahontan cutthroat trout.